Silence Is Golden
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: "A deadly talent and a dark past? What am I, a noir film?"...Abe/OC
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, new story, Abe/OC. Post-Hellboy 2, John comes back and makes up with HB, and Liz is pregnant. There will be no lemon, because our friend is kinda...well, long story short, no lemon. Enjoy and review, please!_

_**Warnings: None really.**_

_**Disclaimers: I own nothing but Isabelle and some OC's later on.**_

_(10/19/11)_

_(Okay, so this story sucks. Like, a lot. A lot a lot. I mean, there are some good elements to it, but the story is just all over the place. Hence the rewrite. We'll try to be quick about it, but no promises. Also, Vi says hello (she's at the school musical practice right now).)_

* * *

"How did we not figure that _demon_ mongooses were going to be so much bigger than _regular_ mongooses?" Hellboy scowled. "Mongeese?"

Abe leaned back against the cool wall of the truck as it shuttled him, Hellboy, Liz, John and Johann back to the BPRD. It was storming outside; hard, pounding rain that carried down from New York, slamming the metal roof of the truck in a deafening roar. Abe was not looking forward to the short run from the underground garage to the auxiliary building where Manning was waiting for them.

The truck rolled to a stop, and Hellboy was up first, jerking the doors open. Grumbling about the "goddamn weather and goddamn New York", he booked it to the shelter of the building, Liz, John and Johann close behind. Abe stopped to grab his respirator, then ran after them.

As he moved towards the other building, lightning struck ahead of him, and the icthyo-sapien's eye caught something in the flash. A dark shape, curled up against the wall. Abe skidded to a halt—_trash?_ Hellboy turned to him as he crossed the doorway. "Abe! You okay?"

"I—" Lightning illuminated the courtyard as Blue started to speak, casting the wall into a harsh relief—just enough for Abe to realize that the lump on the ground was anything _but_ trash.

It was a _girl_, her hoodie and jeans matted to her body, and a pair of ruined leather gloves lay beside her.

* * *

"So...now what?"

Abe sighed as, yet again, Hellboy voiced exactly what they all didn't want to say. They stood outside the study, all fixated on the girl. They'd brought her inside, and now she sat on the couch with her knees pulled up to her chest; her soaked clothes traded in for Liz's robe and an enormous pair of fuzzy slippers that Hellboy vehemently denied were his. Her black-blue curls still dripped water, but she didn't seem to notice or care. She'd been staring at the wall with her bizarre violet eyes and hadn't said a word. The only things she had insisted on keeping on were her ratty leather gloves.

Abe jumped as Hellboy spoke to someone behind him. "What's the news?" Turning, he saw that Clay making his way down the hall to them.

Clay shrugged. "Needless to say, Manning's pissed. He wants you to figure out who she is and what she wants."

Abe arched a non-existent eyebrow. _"Hellboy?_ Manning wants _Hellboy_ to talk to her?_"_

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Blue."

Clay grinned, but it was weary. "Hell, I'm not one to mess with Manning at four in the morning."

Red yawned, stretching, before stomping back into the study to loom over the girl. "So, where ya from?"

The girl looked up at him, silent.

"Oy! Where are ya from?"

Still no response. Liz placed a hand on the demon's arm. "You're probably scaring her. Let me try." She turned to the girl. "Where are your parents, sweetheart?"

This time, the stranger made a face, and Johann observed her curiously. "You know, I don't sink she can speak," he said.

Finally, a nod. "You're a mute?" John asked.

Another nod.

Hellboy scowled. "Well, fuck a duck. Now what?"

The girl moved suddenly and the team reacted, drawing guns. Rolling her eyes, the stranger exaggerated her movements slowly, reaching into her bag to pull out a small dry-erase board and a marker. _Do__ any__ of __you __happen __to __read __lips?_

They shook their heads. She scowled. _Well.__ This __is __lovely._

"Hey!" Hellboy stone hand clapped Abe on the back a bit too hard. "Abe reads minds! He just has to touch you!" He paused. "Wait, that's—that's not what I meant!"

Liz smacked him. "What he _means_ it that Abe can tell things about from just touching your hand."

The girl paled. _That__'__s __not __the __best __ever __idea._

"Why?"

_It just isn't._

John eyed her cautiously. "Um, okay. How old are you?"

_Eighteen._

"Really?" Liz asked. "Wow, I'm getting old. What's your name?"

The girl paused for a second, debating whether or not to answer, before scrawling, _Six._

"Your name is _Sechs_?" Johann repeated.

_Yes. Only not in German, Mr...?_

"Oh!" Johann shook his head. "Forgive our manners. I am Johann, zat is Liz, John, Clay, Abraham and zat," he pointed at Red, "is Hellboy."

Her smile was wry. _I__ know._

"How did you _find_ us? And why aren't you _scared_?" John jerked his thumb at Hellboy. "He's _red_!"

Hellboy growled, grabbing John by the collar and yanking him out into the hallway. "'Scuse all of us."

From the hallway, they watched as the girl stood up and walked the walls, skimming her fingers over the spines of books. Johann drummed his finger against the wall. "Vhat are ve going to do? She can't be human—she found _us_."

"I say we keep 'er," Hellboy said.

Liz yanked his topknot. "She's not a pet! You're just saying that to piss Manning off. Besides, where the hell could she stay?"

"S-She could stay with me." Head turned to eyeball Abe. "In t-the study, I mean. One of the new couches...converts to a bed, and...and she has nowhere else to go!" he finished awkwardly.

John and Clay exchanged glanced and groaned. "Fine," Clay frowned. "But she stays _only_ until we figure out what to do with her."

Hellboy grinned. "Manning's gonna be so fuckin' pissed!"

* * *

"Sweet! Roast beef!"

John grunted as he wheeled the heavy cart into the library. "Glad you're so happy, Red. Want to give me a hand?"

Red grinned and took the piled-high plates from the tray, putting one on the table and taking one for himself. Johann looked at him oddly. "Zere are fourteen sandviches on zat tray."

"Yeah, and?"

"You're going to eat _all_ of zem?"

To make a point, Hellboy took a sub and stuffed it in his mouth. Six laughed silently, showing her teeth. She had spent the night in the study, and now she'd joined the team for lunch. She'd taken off her leather gloves earlier—they were literally falling apart at the seams. Now, she was keeping her fingers twined together in her lap.

John took a sandwich from the plate on the table and turned to Six. "Want one?"

She reached for her board, only to realize she'd left it in the study. _Pen?_, she mouthed.

"Yeah, sure. Here." John reached into his shirt pocket, ignoring Hellboy's whispered "Nerd!"

Six took it from him and wrote on her arm. Abe noticed that her hands and the skin halfway to her elbow weren't nearly as tan as the rest. Did she _always_ wear those gloves? _No, __thank __you. __I__ don__'__t __have __my__ gloves._

Hellboy stopped halfway through taking a bite. "Ya can't eat without gloves?"

_No._

"Why not?"

Her lips twisted into a frown, but before she could respond, Manning's voice surged through the room.

The Director stormed into the study. "What's she doing here?"

Hellboy bit off a hunk of sandwich, mumbling through his full mouth, "Wasit look like? We're keepin' her."

Manning glared and reached for Six. "We're not a home for wayward teens, Hellboy. She goes out!"

Six shot backwards, her momentum sending her side of the couch back, the wooden legs screeching against the floor. A switchblade appeared in her hand as she stood, putting distance between herself and Manning.

Manning stopped cold. "You let her in here with a knife? She was going to kill me!" He fixed his gaze on John and Clay. "I want her out. _Now._"

Johann motioned for the mute to sit down. "You can relax," he told her, "Director Manning is just full of ze hot air. He vill varm up to you."

The girl arched an eyebrow, looking dubious and Johann chuckled at her reaction. "Or perhaps he vill not. Vone vay or anozer, you vill not be going anyvere against your vill."

Hellboy grinned and stuffed another roast beef sub in his mouth. "Damn straight," he mumbled.

* * *

Six sat in one of the stuffed armchair of the study, flipping through a book, her fingers hovering over the pages. Abe sat across from her, turning the pages of his favorite blue poetry book. Suddenly, he looked at her. "Is your name really Six?"

_For as long as I can remember._

Abe's eyes widened. "Why were you named Six?"

She looked away from him, her expression unreadable. _I__'__m__ not __sure._

"Do you like it when we call you that? Is there any other name you would prefer to go by?" Abe had noticed how her face clouded over whenever Hellboy or John had called her name.

Six thought for a moment before writing, _I__'__ve__ always __like __the __name __Isabelle._

"Isabelle it is, then."

* * *

_Well, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW! The Internet at grandma's is a piece of crap, and I'm in a sour mood (still have an uber huge headache, BTW), so please review!_

_Kit_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay, so you guys reviewed so much, and it really made my day! My headaches seems to be coming and going, and COMING at the worst possible moments! Please keep on reviewing like you have, I promise things get interesting in this chapter!_

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: Usual, and some swearing.**_

_(10/21/11)_

_(Rewrite of chapter two.)_

* * *

Abe was floating between consciousness and sleep when his arms bumped against the wall of the tank. _Just__ the __currents,_ he thought drowsily, rolling over before, suddenly, his eyes snapped open. He was in an enclosed tank—there _were_ no currents. Frantic, he spun in the water, searching for the disturbance.

Isabelle wove through the water, the shirt Hellboy had let her borrow—which hung to her knees—floating around her like a giant, rust-stained jellyfish. Abe cocked his head curiously; she seemed perfectly at home in the water. She turned to him, grinning wildly, and gestured to the couches.

Abe followed her out, blushing a light lavender when he realized that Hellboy's sopping wet shirt left nearly nothing to the imagination. "Y-you ha-had better get d-dry, o-or else you-you'll f-fr-freeze."

The mute arched an eyebrow and shrugged, turning her back to Abe and pulling the shirt off before padding to the bathroom in a pair of equally wet blue panties and her ruined leather gloves—and nothing else, Abe couldn't help but notice. With a groan, Abe rubbed his hand over his face and sat down on one of the couches to wait. In a few minutes, Isabelle wandered back out, a towel securely wrapped under her arms and her hair knotted on top of her head. Readjusting her gloves, she scrawled on her board, _I'm sorry for invading your space, Abe. Johann wanted me to wake you, and you didn't seem to hear me knocking on the tank._

Abe shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. You looked like you enjoyed yourself."

She smiled. _I__ love __to__ swim._ Still barefoot, Abe followed her wet footprints as she walked around the room, stopping at the blue poetry book that lay open on the podium. _This__ was__ Nuala__'__s __favorite__ book?_

Abe was taken aback. "How did you know?"

_Hellboy told me all about your adventure with the Golden Army._

The fish-man's eyes clouded and he sighed. "Nuala and Nuada—royal twins of Bethmoora."

Crossing the room, Isabelle hesitantly rested a gloved hand on one of Abe's shoulders. _I__'__m__ sorry, __Abe. __Hellboy __told __me__ you __loved __Nuala._

"I did. I really, truly did." Sighing again, he stood up. "Well, we should probably go see what Johann wants." Isabelle turned and moved for the door, and Abe cleared his throat. She half-turned, looking at him over her shoulder. "Clothes, Isabelle?"

Glancing down at herself, Isabelle threw her head back and laughed before rummaging through her bag to find dry clothes. Abe watched her as she went back to the bathroom with her clothes in had. What was going on with him?

* * *

Hellboy's jaw dropped as Isabelle threw down her cards, winning her thirty-second game of strip poker. The demon shot to his feet, his red underwear leaving little to the imagination, and jabbed a finger at her. "No fuckin' way! How the fuck—that was—you won thirty-two times! How in the hell—?"

Abe, chessboard under his arm, stepped into Hellboy's room just in time to think the demon was naked—even though he wasn't—and blushed when he noticed that Isabelle's thin camisole and shorts revealed more than he wanted to see. _Or__ maybe __not __enough._Abe shook his head clear of the thought. "What _are_ you doing?"

John looked up at the fish-man—at least the agent still had his pants on. "Strip poker. Want to play?"

"No, thank you." Abe set down the board on one of the TV's and nodded to Isabelle. "Is that really what she should be playing?" He gestured for her to sit across from him. "How about chess?"

Isabelle smirked, but before Abe could pull himself out of the game enough to ask her why, she had taken him down in ten moves. The icthyo-sapien stared blankly at his fallen king before tearing his gaze back up to the mute. "You must show me how you did that."

She shrugged, her grin showcasing pointed canines, and replayed the set in slow motion as Abe followed along, fascinated.

* * *

The team was already waiting in the truck as Clay and John caught up with them. Clay passed around a couple newspapers, and Liz wrinkled her nose. "_Mole__ people?_ Seriously?"

Clay ran a hand through his hair. "Believe me, that's the watered-down version. Locals have been reporting giant, sharp-toothed moles in the mines around the town."

Hellboy groaned. "Fuckin' great."

The truck soon left paved roads to rumble across hard-packed dirt before jerking to a stop on the uneven mountain ground. The team started towards the mines when a skittering on the roof of the truck made them turn back around. Isabelle jumped down from the top of the truck, her thick hair wind-blown from her ride. She squinted as Liz turned a bright flashlight beam on her. "Isabelle?"

Reaching back over her shoulder, Isabelle pulled out her ever-faithful dry-erase board. _I __wanted __to __come __along. __I __hope __there__'__s __no __rule __against __that. __I__'__m__ sure __I __could __help._

Red's laughter echoed through the trees. "Gutsy, ain't she?"

Abe scowled at the demon. "It isn't funny. She shouldn't be here. She could get hurt."

Hellboy laughed. "Christ, ain't she gutsy?" Abe glared at the demon as he climbed out of the truck. "It isn't funny, Hellboy. She shouldn't be here. She could get hurt."

Isabelle cocked her head to the side in a surprisingly bird-like gesture. _Nothing can hurt me, Abe._

Shaking his head, Abe protested, "It's all well and good to be confident, Isabelle, but we don't even know what we're up against, and even though we would appreciate your help, we—"

The fish-man was abruptly cut off as Isabelle leaned up on her toes and kissed him. Abe choked on his next words, and the mute was gone as fast as she had come, disappearing down the mine shaft before anyone could stop her.

* * *

_Review please!_

Kit


	3. Chapter 3

Hey Kit, we're going to Castle of Chaos 2moro.

_Oh yeah, huh. Oh well, I'll make it. _

_**Warnings: The usual; swearing and whatever**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot and Isabelle and Dr. Argollas...and the moles.**_

BTW, do you guys like the names of our stories? Kit thinks them up really easy, and they're kinda...y'know clever, aren't they?

_Vi, shut up. Quit badgering the readers._

But, I wanna know! You work hard on the story titles!

_Can't deny that..._

_(1/1/12_

_Rewrite of this chapter. If you catch the obscure Bartimaeus Trilogy reference, you're amazing.)_

* * *

Isabelle wove her way through the tunnels, narrowing her eyes to see in the dim light of the lights hung sparingly on the walls. She heard them before they appeared, but they were faster than she remembered—the moles had blocked her exits before she could turn, their tiny eyes glinting with animal hunger.

"Six. What an odd place to find you."

This time, she did turn before he emerged from the dark of a flanking tunnel, the shadows on his face turning his grin into something from a horror story. He folded his fingers over the head of the cane in his hands, and gestured to the moles. "Like them? I've recalibrated them a bit since you left."

The girl took a cautious step to the side, and as one, the creatures advanced, snarling menacingly. The man waggled a finger. "I wouldn't. They're quite hungry." The shadows morphed his expression into a demonic leer. "Little Six, alone and defenseless." He paused. "Well, not exactly _defenseless_."

Isabelle clenched her fists and mouthed, _Fuck you_.

The man just tutted. "Shame on you." He took a step back and the dark tunnel swallowed him. Isabelle had just enough time to tear off her gloves before the moles pounced.

* * *

"Earth to Abe! We got moles to kill, let's go!"

The icthyo-sapien only half-heard him, dazedly putting his hand to his lips. Hellboy waved a hand in front of his face, then groaned and grabbed Blue by the shoulder, steering him into the tunnel. "Christ, ya'd think he's never been kissed before!"

Abe flushed purple and Hellboy ground to a halt. "_Shit_, Abe! Really?"

He stepped out of the demon's grip, his voice dripping sarcasm. "Thank you for being _so_ understanding, Hellboy."

The tunnels were dry and dark, gravel and dirt sprinkling from the roughly dug out ceiling with every step they took, and Abe hated it. He was completely out of his element; at least in the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels there was some water.

Suddenly, sounds of battle echoed in the tunnels around them, before cutting off as abruptly as they began. Hellboy tilted his chin up before taking off down an adjacent tunnel, his shoulders scraping the tunnel walls. The others followed after him, Abe worried about Isabelle, who had brazenly marched down here. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he ran smack into John as the tunnel broadened out, reeking of coal and smoke. Abe peered around the agent's shoulder, taking in the scene. "What happened here?"

Isabelle sat pressed against the tunnel wall, her head between her legs and her chest heaving. All around her were the remains of the moles, foams flecking their muzzles their tiny black eyes wide in death. The mute looked haggard, but relatively unharmed. Abe ran over to her but she shied away as he came close, pressing against the rock to heave herself up. _I'm fine,_ she mouthed.

"Hey, Abe!" John's voice tore the fish-man's attention to him. "You might want to see this." Abe walked to where the agent was kneeling as the agent ran his hands over the coarse fur, caked with dirt and crawling with random bugs. "There are no wounds, no signs of a struggled. They just dropped dead. And look," he brushed back a piece of fur, "A brand. These ran away from somewhere."

Liz leaned over them. "Or someone set them loose here. They look like they've been here long enough to get comfortable."

John's phone shook his coat as it vibrated. With practiced ease his flipped it open and pressed it to his ear. He exchanged a few words with whoever was on the other end, and snapped the phone closed. "We might as well get out here and let forensics finish. There's not really much else we can find out from this."

The team started to make their way back up to the surface, and Abe hung back to talk to Isabelle. "What happened down here? Did they attack you?"

She fumbled in her pack for her board and marker._ I found them like that. They just gave me a scare. I didn't realize they were dead at first._

Abe frowned. "Really?"

Her expression was unreadable as she glanced over her shoulder at a small adjacent tunnel._ Of course, Abe._

* * *

"So, Isabelle."

Abe turned away from his locker, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Hellboy, John and Johann had boxed him in. "Isabelle? Is something wrong? What about her?"

Hellboy grinned. "Nah, Abe, relax. We just wanna talk."

"About Isabelle?"

John grinned, miming Red. "And you."

The fish-man's shoulders dropped in relief. "Oh, I was beginning to think that—wait, _and me_? What do I have to do with her?"

Hellboy and John rolled their eyes and Johann shook his helmet at them. "Zey sink zat you are attracted to Isabelle."

Abe paled, his jaw dropping. "W-what? A-Absolutely not! Yes, s-she's attractive, but I'm n-not _attracted_ to her!"

Red shrugged. "She likes you too, you know."

Blue shook his head. "You're delusional. Don't you think I would've been able to tell?"

John pointed at the gloves in Abe's locker. "What are those, then?"

"I'm just returning them to her!" With an exasperated huff, the icthyo-sapien snatched the gloves out of his locker and stormed past the trio. "That's all!" he tossed over his shoulder.

Hellboy scowled. "Hell, we tried. Abe's more thickheaded than I though!"

John snorted as he turned to walk away. "You're one to talk."

_"Hey! _What the hell do you mean by that, Boy Scout?_"_

* * *

Abe sighed, exasperated, and headed for the study, hoping Isabelle would be there. She was, scanning a book, her hands gingerly above the pages. Abe paused, suddenly nervous, and cleared his throat. The girl turned, and he held out her gloves. "Here. I told you I would bring them right back."

She ran her hands over them, her smile wide, before slipping them on and reaching for her board. _You fixed them!_

Abe returned her smile—yesterday he had gotten a good look at her gloves and insisted that they be fixed. He'd gotten one of the agents to fix the torn fingers and the shredded and rotting palms, and now they looked brand new again. What he found strange, though, was that he could sense nothing from them: no memories or associations. They were blank.

"...a surprise, Dr. Argollas! We weren't expecting you here. In fact, I don't recall being told that you were coming..."

Isabelle froze as Manning's voice filtered in from the hallway, the marker slipping from her fingers to clatter on the floor. She and Abe bent down for it at the same time, almost knocking heads.

Abe pulled back. "Oh, I'm sorry—"

The words died in his throat as Isabelle's gloved hands closed around his shoulders—she was touching him? Her expression was feral and her grip was painful as she mouthed, _HIDE ME._

The gears in Abe's mind churned as he processed this new information and he muttered, "The bathroom, quickly." As she ran for the bathroom, he quickly shoved her board and marker under the couch and busied himself examining an old copy of _Apocrypha_.

Manning wandered into the study, followed by a man in his late forties. The stranger's black hair was slicked back, and he absently twirled an ornate cane. Hellboy, Liz, John, and Clay slipped in behind them, hurrying over to the fish-man. Abe cocked his head to the side. "Who is that?"

Hellboy shrugged. "Don't know. That guy just waltzed in—his name is Paul Gargoyles or somethin'—and Manning's just as confused as the rest of us."

Liz glanced around, frowning. "Where's—" She cut off as she met Abe's eyes and he motioned for the fire-starter not to say a word.

Behind them, Manning was finishing explaining the history of the study to the newcomer and gestured to Abe. "This is Abraham. He's something like the keeper of information."

Dr. Argollas stepped closer to him, an odd smile tainting his lips. "Amazing." He grinned. "Quite the work of nature—pity you have no poker face." He swung his cane up at Abe's face, and the icthyo-sapien barely had time to process that the cane was hollow before he realized that it was a _gun_ being pointed at him. The rest of the team drew their weapons with a shout, but Abe was between them and the stranger.

The stranger grinned. "And now then, if you would kindly come out of the bathroom, Six?"

* * *

Please review!

_Kit &_ Violet


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, so things get really interesting in this chapter!_

Yeah, so review damnit!! Tell your friends, tell your classmate, tell your crazy cousin Cynthia in the attic, tell 'em to read and review!!

_Geez, overkill much? Anyway, just a few things I wanna mention, **AFTER** all my already planned stories (or maybe somewhere between) will be a HB/OC fic, mostly because it's my friend's birthday (they're like ALL born in the same few months), and I'm writing it for her._

Hey Kit, how'd your doctor's appointment go?

_Fucking terrible! The twenty minutes before I see the doctor, my headaches clear up, and my doctor thinks I'm insane when I got in to see him; and then five minutes after I leave, **THEY COME BACK!!**_

Ugh...that sucks.

_Rub it in, why don't you, you bitch._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual, and we only own the plot, Isabelle and that bastard Dr. Argollas.**_

* * *

Isabelle's fingers tightened to almost painful proportions on Abe's shoulders and the fish-man could feel her fear rippling in the water. Dr. Argollas frowned and snapped his fingers. "_Now_, Leech, out of the tank. You wouldn't want me to hurt one of your new friends, now would you?"

Slowly, hesitantly, Isabelle released her grip and floated to the top of the tank, climbing out and making her way down the ladder. As she touched ground, John and Liz grabbed her by the arms and pulled them over to her. Hellboy glanced at the mute while fingering his Samaritan; wondering whether or not he could use it before the doctor's goons plugged him full of holes. "You _know_ these fuckers?"

Argollas grinned. "Yes she does, better than you can imagine." He held his arms out wide, and Hellboy resisted the urge to pump him full of lead. "Come over here, my dear. Aren't you happy to see us Leech? I'm sure you—"

"Isabelle."

Argollas stopped and looked at Abe, who had climbed out of the tank as well, a solemn look on his face. "Her name is Isabelle, not Leech."

The man paused for a moment, glanced at Isabelle and then laughed, his lackeys laughing with him. "Is that what you're calling yourself now? How adorable, you have little friends now." He smirked. "I wonder how loyal they'll be once they once they realize what you are."

In one smooth motion, Dr. Argollas swung his arm out towards Isabelle, grabbing her wrist with one hand and pulling off her glove with the other. He pulled hard, sending her flying towards one of the BPRD agents.

Isabelle's hand connected with the man's chest and immediately began to glow a faint purple. The man wailed in agony, the skin on his face tightening and wrinkling; his bones protruding as the muscle was sucked away. Within moments, the man dropped; all that remained was a withered husk. Isabelle stumbled back in horror.

Meanwhile, Argollas was grinning. "Do you see now why I call her Leech? She was my crowning achievement; a human vessel that could suck the life out of others and harness it, store it within herself! A parasite of sorts. Everything she touches dies; food rots, metal rusts, paper crumbles to dust, people turn to ashes."

Liz grimaced. "That's disgusting."

"Is it? Or is it noble? Leech was a _nothing_, an urchin on the streets. I took her in, experimented on her, kept her with me for twelve years," he glared in the mute's direction, "But apparently she decided she was too _good_ for my humble lab. After everything I had done for her—with all that energy flowing in her veins, she's practically immortal!"

The doctor paused and smiled darkly at Liz. "And don't begin to pity her, deary. She _enjoys_ it; she enjoys killing people—like she killed that agent. Why did you think she didn't pull her hand away, because she _couldn't_? _No_, because she didn't want to, because she _liked_ it!!"

Hellboy glared. "I can see yer lips movin', but all I can hear is _'Yackety yak, I'm a fuckin' nutjob, please shoot me in the head.'_"

"Ze ramblings of un _lunatic_," Johann added with disdain. John snatched the glove from the doctor's hand and pulled Isabelle back over to him. "You're fucking insane, especially if you think that we're giving her back to an asshole like you!"

Argollas shrugged. "I can understand that."

John paused, but his grip tightened on Isabelle's shoulders. "You...you can?"

Dr. Argollas at John like he was an idiot. "Of course. I'd never force Leech," he grinned mockingly, "I mean, _Isabelle_, to come back with me. She can stay, though I surprised that you would even have her back. The monster she is." With a snap of his fingers, Dr. Argollas and his goons filed out.

* * *

Manning waited a full three seconds before exploding. "What the _**HELL**_ was that? What is that _thing_ still doing _here_?! I ordered her _out_, and you go and _disobey_ me and then we realize that this thing is a _**MURDERESS**_!!"

"Shut up!" Liz snapped back, "Do you even care about her?! The poor thing's been fucking _experimented_ on, she _kills_ things with her _hands_; can you imagine how hard that is to live with?!"

A vein pulsed dangerously in Manning's forehead. "Well boo-hoo, that still doesn't explain what this freak is doing here after I told you to throw her out!!"

Hellboy grinned and ruffled Isabelle's hair. "Yeah, like we'd honestly listen ta that moron." The girl didn't register his words, and the demon threw the others a worried glance.

Manning didn't notice their exchange, he was still talking. "You know what, as a matter of fact; we _can't_ throw her out—not something this dangerous." He turned to a couple of the agents standing by the door. "I want that thing quarantined."

Johann banged his fist on the desk. "Absolutely not. Ve vill not indimidated zis girl any more zen she has already suffered. I vill not allow zis."

Manning grinned menacingly. "You're not in a position to be giving orders, you giant tin can. What are you going to do?"

"We'll quit."

You could almost hear the tendons in Manning's neck strain as he swiveled his head towards Abe, who was standing by the tank, his arms crossed. Manning's lips curled into a snarl. "What?"

Hellboy grinned, catching on. "Yeah, you heard 'im, Baldy. We're gonna quit if ya quarantine Isabelle." John mimicked the demon's gesture and added, "I wonder how you're going to explain yourself when all your freaks have just up and left."

The director had begun to realize they were serious. He spluttered, "You-you c-can't—y-you can't do t-th-that!!"

"Like hell we can."

Abe smiled; he knew they had the man at an impasse. Which was why he was surprised when Isabelle stepped forward, crossing over to the two agents, who shied away nervously. "What are you doing, Isabelle?"

The girl wrote something on her dry-erase board. _'I'm going with them.'_

John's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

'_Because Dr. Manning is right. It's too dangerous for all of you if I'm out in the open. I'll go into quarantine.'_

Abe started to protest, but Isabelle shook her head, and the agents tentatively led her out. Manning snorted as he walked out. "At least the monsteress has some sense."

* * *

"You know," Liz said as she, Hellboy, Johann, John and Abe sat in the study, "It makes total sense now. Why that first day she was eating a sandwich with a fork and knife; she didn't want the food to rot. I guess those leather gloves had some sort of neutralizer on them that kept her power from working."

John shook his head. "My God, can you imagine having to live your life wearing gloves? That asshole took her when she was _six_, for God's sake, and turned her into..._that_!"

"Zere is absolutely nosing wrong vith her, John," Johann chastised, "She is not un monster, she does not bite, she is just un unfortunate girl vith a strange power forced onto her." Throughout the conversation, Abe stayed silent, thinking. Hellboy glanced at the fish-man and started to say something, when Clay walked in.

The older agent frowned. "You guys aren't authorized to take Isabelle out of quarantine. Manning's going to be pissed when he realizes you bailed her out."

Liz arched an eyebrow. "Huh? We haven't seen her since they took her a few days ago."

"You haven't?"

"Nope."

Clay looked perplexed. "Well, no one took her out, and I doubt it would be possible for her to rust through twenty-four inches of steel in just three days, then..." The agent trailed off, nervous of his conclusion.

Abe finished for him, his horrified voice voicing the entire teams' thoughts. "Then Dr. Argollas lied. He kidnapped Isabelle."

* * *

REVIEW, DAMNIT!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	5. Chapter 5

Okay, so Kit's feeling really bad (her stomach hurts and it's...well, let's just say this isn't the best week of the month), so I'm posting this for her. I've already read it, so it's REALLY REALLY good.

BTW, thanks for the _**TWO**_ reviews...they were greatly appreciated. The rest of you better get your asses in gear and _**REVIEW DAMNIT!!**_

**Warnings: Swearing and the usual**

**Disclaimers: Kit owns nothing but the plot and Isabelle...and Dr. Argollas/all his creepy experiments.**

* * *

Hellboy shoved aside the couple of agents guarding the quarantined wing, punching through the door with several blows. John sighed and waved a key-card in the demon's face. "God honestly, Hellboy."

Abe walked into the center of the room, the plain, sterile white of everything hurting his eyes. The fish-man spread his hands out, searching for the slightest thought, the smallest psychic hint as to where Isabelle had gone. The icthyo-sapien's hand brushed the metal chair and suddenly, the memory played back in his mind:

* * *

_Isabelle sat on the chair that was placed in the center of the room; the only furniture in the room. She knew it wasn't that way to keep her from hurting herself, Manning didn't give a rat's ass as to her safety—he had even 'dropped' a razor blade as he left, three days ago. There it lay in the corner of the room, as dejected and alone as she was. _

_The mute absently ran a hand over the arm of the chair, watching the metal turn orange with rust under her fingers—Manning had confiscated her leather gloves for examination— and her eyes flicked back to the razor blade. It would be so easy to end everyone's suffering. _

_That's right, Isabelle didn't give a rat's ass to her safety either—it was the others she worried about. The horrified look on Abe's face when he realized who—what—she was that had stabbed her in the heart; and the terrifying glint in Doctor's eyes as he had left. The doctor would come back, no doubt of that; but Isabelle reasoned that if she were gone there would be nothing to come back for._

_With a soundless sigh, the girl stood and snatched up the razor blade, lightly tracing a zig-zag pattern on her wrist. A small bead of blood welled up on her skin._

"_Now then, I highly doubt I've taught you that cutting is appropriate."_

_Isabelle didn't flinch as Dr. Argollas stepped into the room, the door sliding closed with a slight hiss behind him. The doctor smiled. "Quarantine isn't much fun, is it? Why don't you come back, Leech?"_

_The mute shook her head, her grip tightening on the blade. Dr. Argollas waggled a finger at her, shaking his head. "Tsk tsk tsk, Leech. Before you do anything rash, let's be reasonable. We're both people," here he paused to grin mockingly, "Surely we can come to an agreement. I'm capable of compromise."_

_Isabelle arched an eyebrow in disbelief and the doctor continued, tapping his cane on the ground as he talked. The mute watched the cane as it struck the ground. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"_If you come back, I won't kill Abraham Sapien."_

_The sentence, spoken so nonchalantly, jolted Isabelle out of her thoughts. Her eyes widened, and Dr. Argollas grinned as he realized he had her attention. "Yes my dear, you heard me correctly. You come with me now, without a struggle, and Abraham and all the rest of your little friends won't be harmed."_

_Isabelle didn't move. Dr. Argollas sighed, and put a hand over his heart. "I swear I will not touch a single hair on their heads." The mute pointed a finger at herself, and then at him— a sign. _

_The doctor frowned. "Aren't we clever, making sure I use their names. Fine, I swear that I, my employees and any of my affiliates—recent or otherwise—will not in any way, shape or form lay a finger upon or harm Abraham Sapien, Hellboy, Elizabeth Sherman, John Thaddeus Myers, Johann Krauss or any member or associate of the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. Happy?"_

_The girl nodded and stood, following Dr. Argollas into the observation room, past the squadron of incapacitated guards. As the door to the quarantine room closed with a hiss, Isabelle dropped the razor blade on the ground, and the memory faded to black._

* * *

Abe came back to the real world with a jolt, his mind dazed as the memory faded away. Isabelle had protected them; she had left them behind to keep them alive.

Hellboy saw the fish-man standing near the chair in the center of the room, rigid and tense. "Hey Abe," Red shouted, "Ya find somethin'?" The demon's voice snapped Abe out of his thoughts. The icthyo-sapien shook his head. "No. Nothing, Hellboy."

The other man shrugged and turned back to the rest of the team, discussing other places where the mute could have gone. Abe watched them with steely determination; Isabelle had wanted to protect them, and he wasn't about to meddle with that.

He would get her back himself.

* * *

Getting out of the BPRD headquarters was easy, and now Abe found himself lurking in the shadows of a well-to-do industrial area—all chrome and shiny white metal. The icthyo-sapien spread his hands out again, searching for the small strand of psychic energy that had led him all the way there.

The thread of energy led him to a giant, modern, metal building labeled 'Argollas Incorporated'. Abe slipped through the back cargo bay and crept inside, soon finding himself in lost in a maze of hallways. Footsteps sounded from the left, and the fish-man quickly opened and door and ducked in.

The room was only dark for a second, and then a switch flicked on and the room was bathed with light. As Abe's eyes adjusted, they widened in horror at the macabre spectacle before him. He was in an enormous laboratory, completely white with controls panels monitoring heartbeats and brainwaves pushed up against the walls. Rows upon rows of giant test tubes filled the rest of the space; in them were strange creatures—Abe recognized a mole-thing from the tunnels lying on an operating table.

"You like it?" a voice asked from behind him, "It's my home away from home."

Blue whirled around to face Dr. Argollas, who stood up on an observation deck, slowly making his way down the stairs. Abe gestured around the lab. "You pride yourself in these-these _things_?! You're sick."

The doctor smiled grimly. "Am I, Abe? Stop and see it my way for a moment. Humans are becoming obsolete, we can't do anything extraordinary, and we're dying—killing the earth as we flounder to survive. But with these," he swept his arm around the room, "With my children, we can change the world! Use our products from the earth efficiently, or not have to use them at all! We could rule the world!!"

"And what of you?" Abe asked, "If you and your," he grimaced, "_children_, will eradicate humans to save the world, what will happen to you? You're human, are you not?"

Argollas grinned maniacally. "You think I experiment only for the good of this world? No, with my research, I will become all powerful! _Immortal!!_"

Suddenly, the sound of hinges reached Abe's ears, and he turned to see Isabelle walking into the laboratory, dressed in a lab suit similar to the doctor's. The mute's eyes widened when she saw him, and she scribbled on a small board, _'What are you doing here?! You're going to get yourself killed!'_

"Isabelle, are you alright?" Abe asked, almost frantic with relief that the girl was unharmed, "I'm here to bring you back."

A small click echoed across the giant room, and Isabelle dropped her dry-erase board in horror. Abe turned to see Dr. Argollas pointing an antique pistol at him. The doctor smiled. "Such a noble creature, and such a pity."

Abe arched a non-existent eyebrow. "What's a pity?"

Argollas smiled widely. "That Isabelle was right. Good-bye, Abraham Sapien." The muzzle flashed, and everything went black.

"_Abe!"_

* * *

Ooh, interesting, huh? I wonder who it was that shouted Abe's name...I guess we'll just have to find out when Kit posts the next time...IF you guys review!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorry it's been a while, I've been really busy lately. We had a whole week of tests (Which I didn't study for at all but totally aced), then the Harvest Festival at school and the First Tech Robotics sleepover/meeting, then Math Team, then C++, and then I had to go to visitation with my dad. But here you go, enjoy!!_

_Oh, I've started another story called Like Clockwork, and I would really appreciate if you guys read and reviewed it, because I'm really thinking of taking it down._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

* * *

Abe woke up from his nightmare, floundering until he realized he was back in his tank, surrounded by water. A sharp pain pierced his skull, and he groaned.

Hellboy, Liz, John and Johann—who had been sitting in the study—were up in an instant, crowding around the tank. "Abe," Liz said breathlessly, "Thank God you woke up! We were so worried!"

Abe swam to the top of the tank and shakily climbed out. No sooner then he had reached the ground, Liz hugged him, despite the fact her clothes were getting wet. Abe shook his head to clear his thoughts, and then looked at the fire-starter. "How am I here? I was shot."

John nodded. "You were." The agent frowned. "Abe, you scared us to death when we found you!"

Abe blinked, still trying to make sense of the events. "How did you find me?"

"You were wearin' yer communicator, stupid," Hellboy told him, patting the fish-man on the back; "We tracked ya."

"We showed up at the company an hour after you, and we walk into this lab," Liz grimaced as she remembered the experiments, "And we find you on the ground, with a _bullet_ in your chest."

The icthyo-sapien looked puzzled. "An hour? But I would have been dead by then." He paused. "Wait..._Isabelle_. What happened to Isabelle?!"

John pulled at his collar nervously. "She was sitting next to you when we found you. She just watched as the medics loaded you onto the gurney, and then took off. In the commotion, we lost track of her."

Blue nodded. "Oh. But how am I alive? Surely a bullet to my chest that didn't receive medical attention immediately would have killed even me."

Johann stepped forward. "It vas Isabelle. Ze medics said zat she vas able to reverse her power, und she vas keeping you alive vith ze stolen energy from her body until ve arrived."

Abe smiled, but it quickly changed to a frown. "And now she's gone? We have no idea where she is? What about her communicator?"

"She vasn't vearing it. Isabelle is gone. I am very sorry, Abraham."

Liz hugged the fish-man again, murmuring, "I'm so sorry, Abe. We should have kept a better eye on her in that lab; we shouldn't have let her get away." Abe stepped out of the woman's embrace and shook his head. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have stopped her."

The team slowly filed out, until it was just Hellboy and Abe. The demon fixed his gaze on one of the bookcases and asked, "D'you tell 'er?"

Abe looked up at him. "Tell her what?"

"That ya love 'er, genius!" Hellboy turned, and groaned, "Aw man, ya didn't tell 'er! Why not?"

Blue sighed. "I-I don't know Red. I guess because I didn't believe it myself at first and because there was all of that commotion with Dr. Argollas, and because of..."

Hellboy arched an eyebrow as Abe trailed off. "And 'cause a what?"

"And because of Nuala. It was too soon, I suppose."

Red snorted. "No offense Blue, but those are the most_ lame-ass_ excuses I ever heard." The demon shrugged. "Remember what Father used ta tell us? _'He who hesitates is lost'_." The demon paused. "Well, I guess ya hesitated, and now ya lost both Nuala and Isabelle."

Abe sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, Hellboy was right.

* * *

Blue was surprised when Manning called them into the meeting room. The man stood at the front of the table, waiting for everyone to sit down. "People," he began, "We have a problem. At first when I heard that the mute was gone, I was fucking overjoyed. Now I'm not so sure."

John frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Manning shot a vicious glare at Abe. "Your girlfriend is out for revenge. She's killed several dozen civilians all over the East Coast."

Abe paled, so shocked he didn't bother to inform Manning that Isabelle wasn't his girlfriend. "Impossible! Isabelle would never do that!"

The director slid a file across the table, photos of corpses—their skin taunt over the protruding bones—spilling out. Manning scowled as Liz picked one up and looked at it in horror. "Oh really? Know anyone else who can do that?"

Liz exchanged glances with Johann. "But why would she do that?" the firestarter asked, dismayed. Johann paused to think, and Hellboy snapped his fingers. "That asshole scientist! He must be makin' 'er do it!!"

Manning snickered, and Clay turned to face him. "What?"

"I happen to know that Dr. Argollas has been arrested. He's in a maximum security jail cell." The director showed them a picture. "Satisfied? That freak is doing it, and I don't give a damn why. Our techs tracked her to Staten Island. Find her, kill her, case closed."

* * *

Abe glanced at the rest of the team, who leaned against the wall of a storehouse on the docks of Staten Island. Isabelle was to appear any minute now. The icthyo-sapien fiddled with his goggles nervously, running a hand over the clear lenses. Suddenly, a presence appeared on the edge of his psychic conscious, as though it knew he was there. And then in the split instant, the presence burst; in time with the screams that echoed two warehouses down. Hellboy loaded his gun and started down the boardwalk.

Abe started after him, but as he ran past an alley, a dark shape barreled into him; dark black-blue hair whipping in the fish-man's face. Blue paused, it was her!

"Isabelle!!" he shouted, starting after her.

The mute didn't reply, instead speeding up. The icthyo-sapien pelted after her, struggling to stay on the teen's tail as she skirted crates and sealed up street vending-stands. Finally Isabelle ducked into an alley, only to reappear on the other side of the pier with Hellboy and the others coming down towards her—a dead end.

The mute turned and peered over the edge, into the frigid black water. Her eyes widened with horror at something only she could see, and then she whirled around to see Abe. Isabelle motioned with her hands for him to stay away, but Abe kept walking towards her. "Isabelle," the fish-man started, "Why are you doing this? Manning said you've been attacking people all over the coast. Why didn't you come back with us?"

"Because she knew better, you fool."

Abe spun around to see Dr. Argollas and several dozen of his goons walking down the boardwalk from the side of the shore, the doctor grinning triumphantly. At the same time, Hellboy, Liz, John, Clay and Johann skidded to a stop next to the icthyo-sapien. Hellboy pointed his Samaritan at Argollas. "Let 'er go, Doc, and I won't kill ya."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, the boardwalk began to tremble under them. To the left of the team, the boards splintered and something leapt out of the water, its japing jaws coming closer to John than was comfortable before disappearing into the water. Dr. Argollas grinned, relishing the shock on the BPRD team's faces. "Like them?" he asked, "They're a newer creation, aquatic killers." The doctor crossed over to Isabelle. "They're her cousins, I suppose."

"How are you even here?" Liz demanded, "You were arrested."

Dr. Argollas grinned, and several of his henchmen snickered. "It's amazing what you can do with Photoshop these days, isn't it?"

Abe scowled. "Let Isabelle go, Argollas."

The doctor seemed anything but scared, twirling his cane in his hand. He leered at the icthyo-sapien. "You want her, Abraham?" Suddenly, the cane stopped its revolution in the air; instead Argollas thrust it into Isabelle's shoulder, propelling the mute backwards off the boardwalk and into the water with the mutants.

Argollas grinned maliciously. "Go get her."

* * *

_Enjoy, review, and read Like Clockwork!_

_Kit_


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay, sorry it's been so long, but FF has been changing around the account pages and it's totally throwing me off. That and **THREE** of my newest stories aren't showing up on the Hellboy archive! Please read (and review) Like Clockwork, The Game Of Limbo and the sequel to Golden Girl; Golden Age. I would really appreciate it, cause I'm swamped!_

Please! Kit, I'm beginning to think you're sick.

_Whoop-de-fuckin'-doo. I probably am._

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual.**_

_P.S. 'Argollas' is pronounced AR-GO-YES._

* * *

Abe didn't even hesitate; he struggled out of Hellboy's grip and launched himself after the girl. The dark water closed around him, quickly chilling him. Isabelle was already far underwater, curled up in ball to make herself a smaller target for the shark-like mutants that circled around her. The air bubbles floating up to the surface from her were gradually decreasing, and Abe knew they would soon stop altogether.

The fish-man propelled himself downward, and realized that he wouldn't be able to get Isabelle; the curled-up girl was already beginning to slip away, sinking even lower into the water. The only way he would be able to get her without getting killed would be to grab her hands. But that would mean........

Blue shook his head and darted down, taking Isabelle's hand and pulling her back up. The mutants finally noticed him and gave chase, but Abe was out of the water before they could reach him. He pulled Isabelle back onto the boardwalk, the mute's face sickeningly pale. Abe pressed his hands down on her chest, but didn't get a response. The rest of the team crowded around, watching nervously.

Suddenly, Isabelle's chest heaved, and she sucked in a ragged breath, coughing up water. Abe's shoulders dropped with relief—she was fine. The mute sat up and spotted Abe, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. _Abe! Thank God, I'm so sorry!_

The fish-man pulled away, shocked. "You can talk?"

John shook his head. "Isabelle didn't say anything, Blue."

Abe looked perplexed. "But she just...." he trailed off, and his eyes widened. "Telepathy!"

Isabelle nodded, and then glanced down at her hands, which rested on Abe's shoulders. Blue followed her gaze. "But I thought you couldn't.....?"

Johann leaned and picked up Isabelle's hand, quickly dropping it again as the metal of his suit began to rust under her fingers. "It seems zat you are not affected by her powers, Abraham. It's beyond me as to vhy, sough."

Isabelle's eyes widened, and she threw her arms around the fish-man's shoulders, crying. _I'm so sorry, Abe. This is all my fault!_

Abe sat back again and put his hands on the mute's shoulders. "This is anything but your fault, Isabelle. You had no choice."

Hellboy snorted. "Like hell! She still don't got one." Liz arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"She's comin' back with us, even if we gotta drag 'er. Manning can go kiss my ass."

Isabelle stood up, and pulled on her leather gloves, grinning._ I think I'd like that._

* * *

Abe glanced up as Isabelle walked back into the study where he, Johann, John, Liz and Hellboy were sitting, and his jaw dropped. "Isabelle, what did you do to your hair?!"

The mute paused for a moment, for some reason nervous, and pulled out her dry-erase board. It appeared that only Abe could hear her telepathically, so she relied on the board for the others. _'I cut it.'_

"When?"

The girl paused again. _'Just now.'_

Abe ran his hand through it—it was now as short as Liz's—but what was surprising what that it didn't _feel_ like she had just cut it. "I think it looks beautiful, Isabelle. I just wished you had warned me. It was quite the surprise."

The mute grinned, but just as quickly it changed into a grimace. She clutched her stomach, her hands flashing purple, and then she dropped to the ground.

"Isabelle!" Abe shouted.

* * *

Review, goddamnit!!

_Kit &_ Violet


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, this is the end. Thanks to those who actually **REVIEWED**, as for the rest of you.....(you know who you are). It's good to wrap this story up, mostly so I can focus on some more OC's. I have a Hellboy/OC planned soon, two actually, so watch for those._

_Just to remind you, FF has designated characters, so you need go into your stories and select the characters. _

_**Warnings/Disclaimers: The usual and I only own Isabelle and the plot.**_

* * *

Abe glanced at Isabelle through the glass of the infirmary room, the girl was unmoving—the only thing that signaled she was alive was that the monitors she was hooked up to were beeping rhythmically. Meanwhile, Hellboy and Johann paced nervously—the German's boots rhythmically clicking on the tile—waiting for the doctor to show up.

A man in a white suit walked in, and the team looked up, but the man kept going—it was just an agent who decided to dress up. Finally the doctor arrived, and cleared his throat. "Do you know what's wrong with her?" Liz asked, wringing her hands nervously.

The man cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, Dr. Manning has informed me that I'm not to tell you Ms. Isabelle's condition........"

Hellboy growled deep in his throat, and the man trailed off. He caught the looks in John, Johann, Liz and Hellboy's eyes and cleared his throat. "....But what Manning doesn't know won't hurt him." He consulted his charts. "It seems that Isabelle's power is backfiring."

Abe swallowed nervously. "Backfiring?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. Her body is breaking down bit by bit. Disintegrating from the inside out. First it starts with the small things, like hair, and then works its way up."

Abe exchanged a frantic glance with Liz—he had known it, there was no way that Isabelle had cut her hair! "Is there any way to stop it?" John asked.

The man shrugged as he turned to walk away. "Why don't you ask the guy who made her?"

Abe turned to John. "I don't take it that we happened to capture Dr. Argollas?"

John shook his head. "The bastard got away again."

Hellboy growled and pounded his fist into the wall. "Damnit! How the hell'd we not get 'im?!"

"Oh, well I don't know, but there was that moment where Isabelle nearly drowned and Abe almost got ripped to shreds by mutants."

The demon glared at John. "Christ, I was just askin'! Ya didn't need ta throw a bitch fit!"

"I'm not throwing a—"

"Enough!" Johann snapped, "Ze incidents of ze past few days have taken a toll on all of us. I suggest ve rest tonight, and zen tomorrow ve plan." He glared at everyone in turn. "Agreed?"

The team relented, each member heading off to their rooms. Abe took one last glance at the girl behind the glass, and trudged to the study. Wearily, he began climbing the ladder to the top of his tank, before an eerily familiar voice nearly toppled him off the steps.

"Good evening, Abraham. You seem tired; is something wrong?"

Abe jumped down and reached for his gun, one that Liz had recently insisted he carry—he would have to thank the fire-starter later—and pointed it at Argollas. The doctor was sitting on one of the couches in the study; lounging as comfortably as if he had been there all night. Waiting for the icthyo-sapien.

The man stood, twirling his cane, and Abe's head spun. There was something strangely disorienting about the object; it almost seemed to have an afterimage as it revolved. Blue shook his head, keeping his gun aimed at Argollas.

"Come now," the man said, smiling nonchalantly, "You and I are intelligent beings; surely we can talk this out, you know, come to a compromise."

"What do you mean compromise?" Abe demanded, "You and I want two different things. You tried to kill me!"

"Bygones. I'll tell you what, how about you choose?"

Abe arched a nonexistent eyebrow. "Choose between what?"

Argollas tutted, waggling a finger at Abe, yet all the while the cane kept twirling in the doctor's other hand. "Not what, Abe, but who? You can choose between Nuala and Leech."

The icthyo-sapien paused, his gun hand lowering slightly. "What? How did you know about—"

The man grinned. "About Nuala? Oh, I'm very intertwined with the magical world—you think my creations are made by science alone? Choose, and if you choose Nuala, I can bring her back. Just say the word."

Abe thought hard. Argollas could very easily be lying......but, his creations spoke for themselves; science by itself could never have made those...things. He could bring her back, but what about Isabelle? Even if he chose Nuala, each had their separate duties, and if she was reborn, who was to say her brother wouldn't be?

Blue shook his head. "No. I can't choose Nuala." He looked up. "Isabelle."

Argollas frowned. "Well, that wasn't the response I was hoping for." The doctor's cane stopped twirling. "I can't let you have Leech, however." He grinned, "I suppose if I can't have her, no one can."

"What did you do to her?" Abe demanded.

"Oh nothing, just a few hundred million nanos that have been coursing through her blood stream since she was six. You see, the nanos detonate on my command, eradicating everything. I don't want anyone else stealing my work."

"You're absolutely sick! Don't you care a bit about her?"

He shrugged. "No." And suddenly, the doctor was bringing down his cane of Abe's shoulder, crossing fifteen feet at an inhuman speed. Abe tumbled down the stairs, but managed to pull out his gun and shoot the cane before it came down on him again.

Argollas stepped back, his cane trickling a thin black liquid. He saw's Abe's eyes widen, and nodded, guessing what he was thinking. "Absolutely correct. One of my favorite chemicals; complete harmless to anything organic, but a scourge to metal."

Blue blinked. That was why the cane appeared to have an afterimage—those were the particles of the metal that were flying off. While he was thinking, his mouth blurted, "How are you so fast?"

The doctor laughed. "When I told you I was using my experiments to eventually use for myself, how long did you think I'd wait?" He lifted his hand, and his skin peeled back, revealing metal. "I'm faster, stronger and more agile. Technology combined with magic."

Suddenly Abe laughed, and Dr. Argollas arched an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"

Abe stood and put away his gun. "Just like I tell Hellboy, you're too cocky. Maybe before you gloat, you could check where your cane is dripping." The doctor looked down sharply, only to see that the cane that he had perched over his arm was dripping on the exposed metal. The fish-man smiled pleasantly. "I'll see you in Hell, Doctor."

With an inhuman wail, the doctor crumpled, his cane dropping to the ground. Abe snatched it up and bolted for the infirmary, brushing past Manning, Hellboy, Liz, John and Johann. Exchanging perplexed looks, they ran after him, catching up as the icthyo-sapien pulled open the door to Isabelle's room and snatched a syringe.

"Abe!" Hellboy panted as they caught up, "What the hell're you doin'?"

The fish-man's fingers trembled as he filled the syringe with the black chemical dripping from the cane. Liz's eyes widened. "Isn't that—"

"Yes, Argollas was in the study. But this cane, it has the antidote!" Abe put the cane aside, and stuck the syringe in Isabelle's arm. The mute didn't react, and Abe turned to the others. "The chemical in the liquid that Argollas kept in his cane neutralizes metals. He has nanos in Isabelle's blood that triggered the backfire of her powers. This should stop it."

John looked over the fish-man's shoulder. "Um, Abe.....?"

He turned around, only to see that the heart beat on the monitors slow and soften until it stopped. Abe paused; what if he had been wrong? What if Isabelle was part metal as well? Could he have killed her?

But just as quickly, the monitor sped up, and Isabelle jerked up, gasping. Abe sank to his knees, weary with relief, and Liz rushed over to the mute, hugging her. The mute grinned and hugged her back—after making sure her leather gloves were on—before standing up and sitting down next to Abe. _Are you alright?_

The icthyo-sapien couldn't help himself, he started laughing. "Me? You nearly died, and you're asking if I'm okay?"

The mute frowned. _Is that a bad thing?_

"No not at all." Abe smiled. "And as a matter of fact, I am fine. At least, I am now."

* * *

_REVIEW!_

_Kit & _Violet


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, so I was originally planning on ending the story here, but I had another idea. This one is really short, but here you go._

_**Warnings: The usual**_

_**Disclaimers: I own nothing but the plot, Isabelle and Jesse.**_

_Jesse is pronounced JESS-EE, just so you know._

* * *

"Hey! Get back here!"

Abe looked up as commotion sounded from down the hallway. As it continued, he peered out into the hallway, jerking his head back just in time to avoid Isabelle. The mute flitted past, running at her superhuman speed, grinning wildly. She held something long and black in her hand as she dashed down the corridor, turning the corner without breaking speed.

Hellboy and John rushed after her, and Abe stepped out into the hallway. Hellboy skidded to avoid hitting him, and John caught up; both were panting. "What did Isabelle do?"

The demon glared in the direction the mute had gone. "Izzy stole the remote!" Suddenly, Isabelle stuck her head into the hallway, her newly short hair—Liz had helped her even it out until it hung in a very attractive bob—framing her face, and stuck her tongue out before disappearing again. Red and John raced after her, and Abe followed, sighing at his friends' antics. By the time he had reached the main hall, Isabelle was on the far side, with Hellboy and John facing her. "Give it back!"

The girl shook her head, and pulled out a small long object—her pocketknife. She flipped it over her hand and in between her fingers, until she suddenly flicked it open. She pointed it at Hellboy and gestured with her other hand in a 'come here' motion. Hellboy gaped, but then lunged at the girl. Isabelle flipped over his head and landed on his shoulders, pressing her knife into his neck. She peered down at him and mouthed, "I win."

Abe laughed and Isabelle flipped down off of Hellboy, walking over and kissing him on the cheek. He frowned playfully, "That wasn't very nice." Isabelle laughed noiselessly. _Red started it._

The mentioned demon rubbed his neck and scowled teasingly at the mute. "I'm gonna get you fer that. Yer pretty rowdy lately."

"Vell vhy shouldn't she be?" Johann asked, walking out of one of the labs, "Argollas is dead, she and Abe are together, and Manning seems to have given up."

Suddenly, the Director marched into the main hallway. "Speak of the devil," John snorted.

"You," Manning glared at Isabelle, "I need to have a word with you. Outside."

Hellboy glared at the man. "You better not be tryin' anythin' Manning. Yer gonna regret it."

The Director just smiled—much to the unnerving surprise of everyone in the room—and gestured for the mute to follow him outside, placing his hand on her shoulder to lead her out an adjacent corridor. As Isabelle walked out, Abe turned to the others. "Am I the only one that thinks that was the slightest bit odd? Since when does Manning smile—let alone attempt to calmly speak with Isabelle?"

Liz shrugged. "Don't worry Abe. Manning would dare try anything; he knows we—and by we I mean our big, scary, resident demon Hellboy—would throw a fit. He probably just wants to bitch; Izzy can handle him." The fire-starter winked. "After all, she can handle you, can't she?"

Abe smiled in agreement, and then froze. "Wait, what does that mean?"

* * *

Isabelle waited until the door shut to shrug off Manning's hand, and whirled around. "Okay, drop the act Jesse."

Manning grinned widely and his face rippled, changing until a tall messy-haired teen stood in front of the girl. He ran a hand through his dark blue-black hair, and fixed his tie, glaring at it. "I hate these goddamn things. Anyway, how'd you see through me?"

Isabelle scoffed. "Manning doesn't smile. You should know who you're messing with before you show up."

Jesse shook his head, and his grip tightened on Isabelle's arm. "Oh, but I do, my dear little sis. I know exactly who those freaks are, and I know I don't stand a chance against them alone." He waited a moment, and then Isabelle's eyes widened. "Exactly. But I'm not alone. So how about you come with me quietly, and no one gets hurt."

* * *

_Many interesting things happen, so review damnit!_

_Kit_


	10. Chapter 10

_Okay, so it's coming to an end, and things are revealed, although they only lead to more questions._

REVIEW!!

_**Warnings: The usual**_

_**Disclaimers: We(Kit) own nothing but the plot, Isabelle, Jesse, Marcus, and Rayne.**_

* * *

Abe glanced at the door again, and asked, "Don't you think they've been gone an awfully long time?"

Hellboy shrugged. "That ass is probably apologizing to Izzy for being such a jackass. They'll be back in a minute."

"Who would apologize to that murderess? And what the hell are you doing standing around?"

Abe jumped a mile and whirled around, only to see Manning glaring at him and the rest of the team. The Director crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his foot impatiently. "Well? What are you doing out here, standing around like idiots?"

John's jaw dropped, and he pointed to the doorway Isabelle had just gone through. "But—But you just went in there!"

"Why would I do that, Agent Myers?"

"You were talking to Isabelle..........." The agent trailed off. "Oh _shit_."

* * *

Isabelle followed Jesse into an old warehouse, wrapping her arms tighter against her chest. Her older brother fished a key out of his pocket, opening the double loading doors. Jesse gestured for her to go in first, and the girl arched an eyebrow. "You first," she told him. The teen shrugged and went in, then turned and waited for her, his lavender eyes watching her carefully. Isabelle walked in, looking at the sunlight that streamed through the small windows near the roof, and the lone pigeon that strutted on the rafters. Isabelle shook her head and sighed. "Marcus, come down."

The pigeon dropped down, morphing from tiny bird to a tall, lithe blue-black haired young man. As he walked up to the two waiting by the door, his silver eyes glinted playfully. "How'd you know it was me?"

"There's no such thing as just _one_ pigeon."

Marcus frowned and Jesse shrugged. "Our sis has sharp eyes, what can I say? She saw it was me, too."

"Oh yeah?" a voice shouted from an unknown corner of the room, "Or maybe you're just stupid, Jess. Betcha that our sis can't see me!"

Jesse and Marcus looked expectantly at their sister, whose eyes flicked around the room. Suddenly, she jumped high, tucking her legs underneath her and landed in a crouch, with one leg out to the side. Something collided with her leg, and another teen flickered into view, his arms flailing as he tried to regain his balance, his ice-blue eyes wide with panic as he fell. The youth picked himself up, checking to make sure his long hair—the same color as his siblings'—was still in its orderly ponytail. Jesse laughed. "So much for that, Rayne."

Rayne grinned and hugged his sister. "How'd you spot me?" Isabelle weaseled out of his grasp, and combed her fingers through her long hair. "You're too noisy when you run. A deaf man could hear you."

Jesse laughed again, "Our baby sister, back at last!"

The girl glared. "I'm eighteen, hardly a baby. I'm legally allowed to smoke already."

Rayne glared back teasingly. "Well, I'm nineteen, so there. I can _buy_ cigarettes!" Marcus shoved him out of the way, and messed up his hair. "Well I'm twenty-one—hello, alcohol!"

Jesse picked them both up by their collars, twirling them around like rag dolls. "Well, I'm twenty-two. Not a particularly important number, but it's older than the lot of you."

Isabelle watched all of this with little interest, tapping her foot. "Alright children, enough." She looked at her oldest brother. "What are you all doing here? What happened to you when we were kids?"

Jesse sighed. "When Argollas got us, he took you to his main lab in Jersey, but we got sent to some sister labs. We broke out and met up about a year ago, and were trying to look for you. We got to the main lab a few months ago, and we heard you busted out and disappeared." He paused. "Is it true that Argollas is dead?"

The mute nodded. "Yes, Abe killed him."

"Who?"

Isabelle blinked in surprise and shook her head. "No one." She looked from brother to brother. "So why are we here, Jess? You wouldn't have just brought us together for a family reunion. You must have some sort of plan."

Rayne and Marcus glanced at each other and then peered at their sister. "Are you sure Argollas didn't mess with your head? You're too frickin' attentive."

Jess shook his head and smiled. "Nah, our sis has always been that smart. And yeah, I have one hell of a plan. Argollas had another lab; one up in the Arctic, of all places. And it's a backup, in case anything ever went wrong."

He waited for a reaction, and Isabelle shrugged. "And? Elaborate."

"_And_, it has antidotes."

"_What?!"_

Jesse shrugged. "Well, not an antidote, really, but a destroyer. If injected to his experiments, or breathed in like a gas, it seeks out what makes us....well, the way we are, and turns us back to normal! It'll make us human again!" He glanced at Isabelle. "It might even heal _that_."

The girl's hand flew to her neck, and she traced the gruesome scar that was there. "What happened in Manhattan had nothing to do with Argollas. It won't heal that."

"But what if it does?! Can you imagine talking without the help of my powers?"

"And if it _doesn't_?" Isabelle argued, "Then what? You'll be powerless, and I'll be mute, just like I was since I was four."

Jesse frowned and folded his arms across his chest. "We all have to make sacrifices, sis."

Isabelle's eyes narrowed. "Oh really, Jesse? And what's yours?"

* * *

Isabelle felt hands wrapping around her waist, and her eyes snapped open, wide awake instantly. She turned and lashed out; freezing at the last moment as her hand was centimeters away from John's face. The agent put her down and grabbed her arm, pulling her out of her small back room, leading her through the back hallways of the warehouse. As they turned a corner, the mute saw Abe, Hellboy, Liz and Johann waiting for them. Abe's shoulders dropped in relief as he spotted her and wrapped his arms around her. "Thank God you're alright."

Isabelle weaseled out of his grasp and looked at him. _What are you doing here? How did you find me?_

Abe blinked in surprise. "We tracked your communicator. And what do you mean; we're here to get you back."

It was the mute's turn to blink in surprise. _What? You shouldn't have come. You're going to wake them up. They're going to be pissed, and you—_

Suddenly, Isabelle was snatched up by an invisible force, which shot back as quickly as it come, carting the girl to the opposite side of the warehouse. A young man suddenly appeared behind her, flipping his ponytail of blue-black hair over his shoulder and glaring at the others. A second one, taller than the first, but looking almost exactly like him, dropped down from the rafters, his arms crossed over his chest.

Hellboy moved to pull out his gun, ready to plug the two men full of holes, when a blur barreled into him, sending his gun skidding across the floor. The tall, messy-haired teen stopped the gun with his foot, and Red stood, swearing. The blur that had knocked him down jumped back up, and Liz blanched. A wolf, three or four times bigger than a normal one, snarled at the team and took a step towards them.

"Marcus," Isabelle shouted, "Don't! Don't hurt them!" The wolf glanced back at them, and the tall teen nodded; the animal trotted back and shimmered—another boy with hair like Isabelle's stood next to them.

Abe exchanged shocked looks with John and Liz; had he heard right? "Isabelle? You can talk?"

The tall teen smirked. "She can when I'm around. It's one of my nifty little powers, I project thoughts." He picked up Hellboy's gun—thankfully, not his Samaritan—and asked, "Would you like to see another one?" Without waiting for an answer, he crushed the gun into scrap metal with one hand. Hellboy's jaw dropped.

The other boy, the one that had appeared out of nowhere, flickered and reappeared in front of Red, neatly closing the demon's jaw. Hellboy swung a fist at time, and the teen flickered again, this time appearing back next to Isabelle. The tall teen shook his head. "Rayne, I wouldn't play with fire."

Rayne glared at the other one. "Shut up, Jesse. He can't touch me."

"Who the hell are you?" Liz demanded. Jesse, Rayne and Marcus exchanged glances, and then looked at Isabelle, hurt. "What, sis, you never mentioned your big brothers before?"

The mute glared at them and shouldered past the three. "I'm sorry," she told the team, "But I didn't really have a choice." She glanced at Abe. "I didn't mention them, because I never thought I'd see them again."

Suddenly, Hellboy laughed. "Are ya kiddin' me?" he asked, and then looked at Jesse, Rayne and Marcus. "You guys thought ya had ta kidnap yer sister if ya wanted ta see her? Ya couldn't have just walked in?"

Marcus thought about that for a moment, and then glanced at Jesse. "Good question. Why the hell didn't we just walk in?"

Jesse shot a glare at the younger teen and snapped, "Shut up. In case you've forgotten, this isn't some family reunion; our sister is coming with us."

Abe glared. "Coming where?"

"None of your damn business." Jesse opened his mouth to continue, but Marcus clapped a hand over his mouth. "Hey wait! Aren't you that Abe guy that killed Argollas? Man, thanks a lot!"

Rayne flickered over to Abe and shook his hand, much to the surprise of the icthyo-sapien. "Much obliged."

Liz lit one of her hands on fire, and Rayne quickly shot back to his siblings. "Enough. Where are you taking Izzy and why?" She looked at the mute. "And she doesn't look like she wants to come along, anyway."

Isabelle opened her mouth to respond, but Jesse put a hand on her shoulder. "Sis, think about it for minute. Do you really want to go back, and have to worry about nearly killing your friends all the time? Come with us; when we're fixed, I swear I'll come back with you and explain. They can't begrudge you for trying to heal yourself, or else they wouldn't really be your friends." He squeezed her shoulder. "But we aren't going to stop you if you want to go with them."

The mute swallowed thickly, and turned to the team. "Abe, I'm really sorry, but I'm going with Jesse. I'll be back, I swear. Hang tight, okay?"

Abe's jaw dropped as he watched Isabelle turn and walk away with her brothers. Hellboy blinked and picked up his maimed gun, and turned to the others. "What the hell just happened?"

* * *

REVIEW! But no flames, or else crazy wolf-girl Kit will rip your throat out!

_Haven't heard that in a while, have we?_

_Kit & _Violet


	11. Chapter 11

_Right, so this is THE END. OVER. **DONE.** This was a really fun series, but I have many, many more...which I expect you to check out!! Thank you all so much for reviewing, it really makes my day to come home from my hellhole school and see so many reviews! _

Just to clear a few things up; the Samaritan wasn't the gun Jesse smashed....it was some other one. And Rayne is pronounced just like 'RAIN'.

_**Warnings: The usual.**_

_**Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot, Isabelle, Jesse, Marcus, Rayne, Argollas, Tommy and that newspaper article.**_

* * *

Abe sighed and buried his head in his hands. "I give up. I can't find anything."

The team glanced at him in pity. It was already the third day; they had been trying to dredge up more information about Isabelle and her brothers, but their efforts had amounted to nothing. Johann patted him on the shoulder and gestured for him to sit down. "Relax. Ve're all stressed, it's only natural."

"Hell, I'm clueless too," Hellboy offered, "I don't even know what they can do. Well, 'cept that Jesse guy." He turned to Liz. "He can project people's thoughts and's got super strength."

Liz shrugged. "He said he has a lot of powers. Those could just be his favorites."

"And zat isn't to say zat ze ozers don't have ozer abilities as vell," Johann added.

"Okay," John asked, "So what about Marcus? He's a shape-shifter, right?"

Abe nodded. "Yes, an _animagus_ to be more exact—he can assume the form of any animal, real or otherwise."

"And Rayne? What does he have? Invisibility? Time control?"

"Super speed," Johann clarified. The ectoplasmic specialist looked at the rest of the team. "And ve are only naming ze powers zat ve have seen. Who knows vhat ozer vones zey—and Isabelle—could possess?"

Suddenly, Liz stood up, an old, wrinkled newspaper in her hands. "Look at this, I think I found something." The fire-starter cleared her throat and read, "_'April 15__th__, 1994; A young girl, aged 4, was caught under a train earlier this afternoon. The young McArthy girl—first name unknown—slipped and fell onto the tracks as the train was pulling in. Her four brothers—Jesse McArthy, age 8; Marcus McArthy, age 7; Rayne McArthy, age 5; and Thomas McArthy, age 3—leapt to her rescue after the train was clear. Unbelievably, the girl only sustained severe neck lacerations; due to one of the wheels being rusted. The boys came away with minor injuries, except Thomas, who died at the hospital from intense internal bleeding two days later. The children—whose parents had died two years prior—had been living in an abandoned cellar in Manhattan. Their uncle, Dr. Paul Argollas, claimed the children at the hospital.'_"

Hellboy winced. "_Ow._ Poor Izzy, so that's why she can't talk."

Liz nodded, but then showed the pictures on the next page. "But look at these photos," she pointed to one of the rusted wheel. "Doesn't that look like someone pressed their hands into the wheel, and it rusted around the prints?"

John looked over her shoulder and then pointed to another few pictures. "And look at the side of the train—it looks like someone rammed their shoulder into it—hard enough to dent the metal! And down here; it looks like something with a _tail_ in jumping down to where Izzy was! And Rayne's image is flickering here, as if—"

"As if he's moving too fast for the security camera to get a clear shot," Abe finished. He exchanged looks with Liz and John. "But that would mean...."

"That they had their powers before Argollas showed his ugly mug!" Hellboy exclaimed. "And I bet he ain't their uncle, either. Him and his grimy hair look nothin' like Izzy."

"Who is zis Thomas boy, however?" Johann asked, "I only saw sree men vith her."

Liz ran her finger below a sentence, "It says he died of internal bleeding. Down here."

John glanced at Abe. "Wait, if Isabelle and her brothers had their powers before Argollas, then why are they going to get this antidote?"

The fish-man shrugged. "He could have enhanced their powers, or added more."

"And if he didn't?"

Abe and Johann paused, calculating in their head. They both reached the same conclusion at the same time, and said in unison, "Then they'll be going to their deaths. The chemicals will kill them."

* * *

Isabelle ducked as another shard of ice the size of her fist shot past her in the air. She glanced back at her brothers, following behind her on snowmobiles of their own. How they had managed to steal them, Isabelle could understand, but she was beyond that—the mute was too busy trying to see the miniscule, snow-covered road in the midst of a blizzard. The GPS she and Jesse had attached to her vehicle kept beeping, barely audible over the icy wind, but it told her that they were going in the right direction.

Ice crunched as Jesse rode up to her, close enough she could feel the heat from his snowmobile's engine. "How far away are we?!" he shouted in her ear.

"Only a mile or so!" she hollered back. Jesse grinned, and then instantly choked; a glob of snow had hit him in the teeth. Isabelle laughed, and he shot her an exasperated glare. He glanced over his shoulder and rolled his eyes; Rayne had somehow managed to fall off his snowmobile. Her older brother cut back, and Izzy returned her eyes to the GPS, only to find that it had been splintered by a giant shard of ice. She cursed under her breath and looked up at the sky, as though asking why they _had_ to get lost all the way out here, in the Arctic Circle.

At least, she tried to; a giant white building blocked her view. An enormous insignia was branded on the side of the wall, and the mute knew they had arrived. It was Argollas Inc., the Arctic Sector.

Driving her snowmobile under a small eave, she waited for her brothers to catch up. As Rayne made it under, he immediately took off his coat, shaking the snow off his clothes. "Goddamnit, Argollas! He couldn't have made a lab in Brazil or something! It's warm in Brazil!"

"Yeah, so we can trudge through the Amazon and most likely get swallowed alive by anacondas."

Rayne glared at his older brother. "Shut up, Marcus. You could talk to them." He paused, as though thinking. "Oh wait, but they would probably overwhelm you with their high IQ's. After all, your intelligence has much to be desired."

Marcus opened his mouth to retort, but Isabelle snapped, "Enough! Let's get in and get what we need, okay?"

Marcus and Rayne exchanged surprised glances. "Okay....." As Isabelle took off her gloves and pressed her hands against the door, watching it rust under her fingers, Marcus leaned over to Jesse. "What's her deal?"

Jesse winked. "She's hurrying to get back to Abe."

"I can hear you, boys. Now hurry or I'll leave you behind."

The four crept into the lab, carefully watching their step. Suddenly, the lights came on, and Jesse whirled around on his brothers. "What the hell did you press?!"

"They didn't press anything, Jesse; it was my fault."

Isabelle looked up and her eyes widened. "That's impossible! Abe killed you!"

Argollas grinned. "I'm immortal now, dear, thanks to your generous contributions to my research. Abraham's effort only delayed me for a bit." The doctor sighed and twirled his cane around. "I suppose you four are here for the antidote? Well, I won't stop you."

"Why not?" Marcus asked.

"Because," Argollas answered, "I'd love to see if you have the strength to get it."

Jesse smirked. "Well, it just so happens I'm in luck, aren't I?"

Isabelle heard the hiss of a door open, and turned to her brother. "I don't think he means that kind of strength."

Argollas's smile widened. "_Intuitive._ No, not a physical strength, not at all." He turned to the slightly shadowed door, and Rayne followed his example. The teen's jaw dropped, and he breathed, "Impossible. Is that _Thomas_?!"

The doctor smiled. "The one and only. He's sixteen now."

"But that's impossible!" Jesse exclaimed, "He died! We saw him—we went to his funeral!"

"Funny what you can do with a pair of live wires, isn't it?"

Marcus folded his arms over his chest. "So now what? Tommy has the antidote, doesn't he? Do we have to fight him for it?"

Isabelle shook her head, watching her younger brother carefully. "I don't think that's right, Marcus. I think he _is_ the antidote." She glanced up at Argollas. "Am I right? We're your master creations, and our younger brother is the only thing that can save us? It's his blood, isn't it?"

Rayne shrugged. "So? Just give Tommy a small cut, he'll be fine."

"No he won't!" Jesse snapped. "To completely reverse all of us, he'd have to bleed dry!"

Argollas shrugged. "What do you care?" At the teen's confused glances, he continued. "With the experimenting I've done, his soul is long gone. It's just a shell—you have no remorse about killing an empty husk, do you?"

A loud banging echoed from somewhere across the facility, and it was coming closer. A brief look of surprise flickered over Argollas's face, but then he cleared his throat. "In case you were wondering, Thomas doesn't have any powers; at least not like yours. But he makes illusions—if you will—that fight for him."

As soon as he had finished, the south door to the lab busted open, and several figures stepped out. Isabelle groaned. "Of all the illusions...."

* * *

Hellboy grumbled as he, Liz, John, Abe, Johann and Clay trekked through the ice dunes. "Fuckin' cold, and fuckin' ice, and fuckin' crazy Argollas...." The demon trailed off and glared at John. The agent was walking like it was a stroll in the park, wearing a lightweight parka, a light sweater and a pair of jeans. "How the hell can ya stand the cold, Boy Scout?"

John turned and grinned. "Well, after spending a year in this kind of weather, you just get used to it."

The demon growled and stomped harder, yelping in surprise as his foot sunk at least two feet into the snow. Liz giggled and Clay laughed; Red pulled himself up and pulled off his boot, scraping out the snow, his tail flicking in irritation.

Suddenly a white building loomed over the team, and Johann announced, "Argollas Inc., I believe."

Hellboy smirked. "Let's go." He punched through the door, and after several confusing turns and hallways, Abe stopped and pointed to a sliding metal door with Argollas's insignia on it. "They're in here." Red pulled the door back, the metal groaning from the pressure. The team stepped out, and Liz's jaw dropped.

Argollas was standing across the lab from Isabelle, Rayne, Marcus and Jesse, and the teens were watching another young boy, with the same hair color as them. Suddenly, as Argollas finished whatever it was he was saying, Isabelle turned to the team and groaned. "Of all the illusions....."

Before anyone could get a word edgewise, Isabelle turned to her brothers. "Am I taking this alone, or are we in this together?"

Jesse spat on the ground and glared at Hellboy. "Nah, we're helping. It's just like Argollas to make fun of you this way." The other brothers nodded, and John demanded, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

Isabelle turned back to the team and made a few quick signals with her first two fingers on her right hand. She and her brothers jumped at the team from different sides, and the shocked BPRD agents could do nothing but dodge. Liz lit her arms on fire as Rayne circled her and John, smirking. Suddenly, the teen stopped and shimmered—several more of him appeared. They began to circle the two again, saying in unison, "Now what? Can't burn what you can't catch, can you, fire-starter?"

As Liz and John attempted to pick out Rayne from his doppelgangers, Marcus grinned at Johann and Clay. Clay raised his hands in an attempt at peace, and began, "Now listen, if we could just talk this out calmly...."

Marcus growled. "Nice try." The teen spread his feet out shoulder-width and placed his hands on his throat. Clay would have thought that the boy was making the universal sign for choking, if it wasn't for the fact that Isabelle, Rayne—his doppelgangers as well— and Jesse all stopped as clamped their hands over their ears when they saw him.

Marcus shouted, and Clay realized as he was thrown against the wall that Marcus had supersonic powers as well. Johann however, in his metal body, didn't budge an inch. Marcus's shoulders dropped and he looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Hey, sis! Help!"

Isabelle darted over with inhuman speed—though not as fast as her brother's—to where Marcus was. The mute skirted behind Johann and placed a hand on his back. The man's metal body convulsed and he collapsed. Isabelle stood behind him, grinning; her hand crackling with lightning. "Oh, did I forget to mention I was electro-kinetic?"

Meanwhile, Jesse and Hellboy stood facing each other. The teen grinned. "Hey, d'you have any more guns for me to smash." He eyed the Samaritan. "That one's a doozy."

Hellboy growled, and suddenly his voice rang out in the room, _"I'm gonna fake this bastard to the left and then crack his fucking head into the cement!"_ The demon paused, and exclaimed, "Hey! I was thinking that!"

Jesse gave an insulted huff. "You insult me with your stupidity." Suddenly, the teen snapped his fingers, and Red noticed that the multiply bangles Jesse wore on his wrists were gone. "Hey, where the hell are yer—"

A buzzing sounded behind Hellboy, and the demon managed to duck just in time as the bangles whirled past where his head had been. Jesse gestured with his fingers, and the razor disks turned in midair and zoomed after Red. The demon shot at the bangles, but Jesse grinned and waggled his finger at him. "I wouldn't. These cut through bullets."

"Isabelle!" Abe shouted, "Call off your brothers! We need to talk to you!" The mute immediately darted over to him, her eyes grim, and swung a kick at his head. The fish-man ducked as the girl's combat boot whizzed over his head and grabbed her leg, throwing her across the lab. But before Izzy even landed, she hit the wall and used it as a springboard to knock Abe to the ground. She straddled his waist, her hands on his chest.

Suddenly, Isabelle's eyes widened, and she jumped off Abe, whirling around. "Jesse! Marcus! Rayne! _Stop_, they're the real thing!"

Jesse glanced at his sister as he dodged Hellboy's fist. "What do you mean?!"

"Abe is immune to my powers! Tommy doesn't know that; so he couldn't replicate it!"

"But how do you know Argollas didn't tell him!" Marcus shouted.

"Because, then wouldn't he make all of them immune?"

"What if they are?"

Isabelle crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, Johann isn't dead, is he?"

This seemed to be enough to convince the teens, and they stopped. Hellboy panted with his hands on his knees. "Damnit! That's what we were _tryin'_ ta tell ya to begin with!"

Isabelle turned to Abe and hugged him. "My God, I'm so sorry. Argollas told us you were illusions our brother created to—" she paused. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Abe placed his hands on her shoulders. "You and your brothers had your powers before Argollas; they were activated when you fell under that train. Argollas just tricked you into thinking that he gave them to you. If you had touched that antidote, you would have died!"

Isabelle's eyes widened in shock, and a clapping echoed from above them. Argollas was standing at the top of the stairs on the far side of the lab, grinning. "This reunion is all well and good, but I'm still immortal. Unless you kill me—which is impossible—I'll just keep trying until I kill you!"

The mute suddenly smiled. "Actually, it isn't impossible." She took slow, deliberate steps towards the boy who Abe figured was her younger brother, Thomas, all the while talking to Argollas. "That would be just like you; we're your only _intelligent_ experiments, my brothers and I, aren't we? You knew that eventually we'd want to kill you, and also that immortals need to have a _source_ for their immortality. So you had two options." The mute ticked them off on her fingers, "You either put your source somewhere we would never find it, or," she glanced at Tommy, "You put it in the one place we never dare to touch it."

Argollas's grin was fading, and the team's were widening as they realized where the girl was headed. "It's Tommy, isn't it?" she asked, "You put your source in the one thing we wouldn't dare hurt; our baby brother."

Isabelle turned to Jesse. "That's how Tommy's been alive all these years—it's symbiosis. Argollas's immortality keeps both him and our brother alive. So if we kill Tommy, Argollas is just as human as anyone else."

"But you wouldn't!" Argollas shouted, "You couldn't be cold-blooded enough to kill your own family!"

By this point, Isabelle was standing in front of Tommy's form. She grinned. "I learned from the best. And besides, it's just like you said; he's just an empty shell." The mute pressed her hand into Tommy's chest and he disappeared—at the same moment, Hellboy pulled out his Samaritan and shot Argollas in the head. The doctor was dead before he hit the ground.

Hellboy grinned and turned to the team. "Now let's get the hell out of here."

* * *

Two days later, the team, Isabelle and her brothers were sitting in the study; the boys glaring at Abe as their sister sat in the fish-man's lap. Isabelle glared at them. "For the love of God, I'm not a little girl. I can do whatever the hell I want."

Jesse's frowned deepened. "I have half a mind to read your memory and see what you've done with him."

Isabelle smirked. "I wouldn't. It's not advisable for young audiences." Jesse's mouth dropped, and Abe blushed. Liz and John arched their eyebrows.

Marcus cleared his throat and turned to Jesse. "We oughta be going."

Jesse nodded and turned to the team. "He's right. We'll be going now, but my brothers and I just wanted to apologize for before and tell you slackjobs to take care of our sister."

The trio turned to leave, and were halfway down the hall when Hellboy shouted out, "Hey! Where the hell d'ya think yer goin'?"

Rayne half-turned. "Excuse me?"

John nodded, smiling. "Don't you know Manning's rules? The BPRD's freaks aren't allowed outside!" Jesse, Marcus and Rayne grinned back as the meaning of the agent's words settled on them. Clay stood and took a small remote out of his pocket, switching off the hallway's remote. "No one listens to those rules, anyway."

The team stood and headed out to join Izzy's brothers. "So where are we going?" Liz asked.

Isabelle kissed Abe and winked at Rayne. "I hear Brazil's nice this time around."

Rayne glared teasingly at his sister. "I liked you better when you didn't talk. Haven't you ever heard the phrase _'silence is golden'_?"

Abe smiled and wrapped his arms around Isabelle's shoulders. "Well, it's a good thing I'm not particularly fond of gold."

* * *

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_Thanks for reading!_

_Kit &_ Violet


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